New Year s Bundle
by Crimson613
Summary: VanTomi.Hitomi has been wondering about whether Van has moved on for a while now and it's now New Year's Eve…and that stranger there looks mighty familiar.


Hitomi sighed as she was finally allowed some time for a much needed rest. It had been a hectic week filled with a lot of planning for the many relatives that were going to come for a visit. Her thick beige sweater covered her up rather well during this cold season. Her hair was slightly longer now than it had been before and Yukari would constantly say it made her look for mature, especially during this time. She yawned as Mamoru turned on the television and sat down beside her.

"Are you cold?" his voice was filled with concern.

She smiled fondly, "Nice and toasty."

He breathed out a sigh of relief, "That's good."

Really, Mamoru had been such a brat as a child who would harass her all day every day, but now he was such a sweetheart. He was always ready to get her anything she needed, especially now that their parents had gone out on their annual honeymoon. Really, they had gone out so many times now that she had lost track of how many it had been since their marriage; probably their eighteenth? Perhaps, since they started doing this annual thing around the time Mamoru had been a toddler and he was sixteen now.

It had been funny, watching as he would bawl until his eyes turned bright red. Their nanny Joyce had been a very caring woman and just a lullaby from her had Mamoru in dreamland. When their parents would come home he would start crying over the fact Joyce would be leaving. She smiled.

"What is it?"

"Just remembering," she replied.

"About…_him?_"

"_No_, about Joyce."

_Him, _the one who she cherished and loved. It had been about eight months since she had last seen him. It had been eight months since she had come back to her own world and eight months of having her parents watch her from the corner of their eye. They wouldn't let her go out anywhere unless she was well accompanied or if they were sure she wouldn't just disappear. It was a nice feeling but at times it also became annoying. She was able to take care of herself.

"What about Joyce?" Mamoru asked with a tinge of pink on his cheeks. She knew he also remembered, although not as well as she did.

"About how you would behave when Mom and Dad would leave, you were such a crybaby," she commented with a smile.

"I was _three,_" he defended but he laughed and she couldn't help but join him.

"When is everyone coming over?" Hitomi asked.

Mamoru checked his watch, "In about half an hour."

Ah, that gave her a while before she had to be up and about once more. Emerald eyes watched the screen where some movie was showing. It seemed like there was a man looking for his daughter and was doing the impossible to find her. She had gone oversees with a friend to follow some band, she frowned. If her children ever lied to her like the girl had, they would not be seeing tomorrow anytime soon, not that she would let them travel at such a young age. It was a very action packed movie, the type Mamoru loved. She was also fond of them but preferred the romance type.

Hitomi had never been the type to like that genre but ever since eight months ago her tastes had changed. She had started watching _Romeo and Juliet, The Notebook, _and_Titanic _about a hundred times, each moment seeing herself as Juliet and Van as Romeo or herself as Rose and Van as Jack. It was pretty pathetic but true. She was doing what she had promised to Van the day they parted in Fanelia. She had told him she wouldn't forget him, even when she turned old and wrinkly.

The doorbell rang.

"Be right back," Mamoru announced and she watched as his jean clad-self walked over to the door. As soon as he opened the door Hitomi could hear the familiar voices of the newest couple in town.

"Hitomi!" Yukari exclaimed as she rounded the corner into the living room. Hitomi was about to stand so she could greet her but Yukari beat her to it and practically jumped on her.

"Yukari!" she exclaimed but not as a greeting.

"Oops, sorry, I was excited to see you," Yukari apologized with a worried look in her eyes, "Are you okay? I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"No, I'm alright," Hitomi smiled, "You just surprised me."

And it was true. Being the way she was made her nervous to all kinds of movement, even her own. Yukari sat next to her while both Mamoru and Amano went over to the kitchen, "Mamoru?"

In less than a second he was at her side, "What is it? Do you need something? Are you okay?"

"I think he's coming…"

"What? But it's not time yet!" Yukari laughed at his frightened emerald eyed expression and Hitomi let out a few giggles.

"Just kidding, but I would like some water," Mamoru let out a sigh of relief but gave her _the eye_. She smiled.

"He's really taking care of you, huh?" Yukari asked. She nodded.

At night he would stay in her room, just in case she needed anything, especially now that she was nearing the nine months. Before, during her fifth month to her sixth, he had stayed with her because it was easier to hear her calls during her night-time cravings. There was a second bed placed in her room, where her couch had been, so that Mamoru could be comfortable while sleeping. He had stayed on the couch a few times but would awaken with pain in his back and on his neck.

It also calmed their parents down, knowing she couldn't escape at night.

It wasn't like she had tried anything recently but she had done so about a month after she had come back. She had told her mom that someone was calling her. She had been sure it was Van but the call had quickly disappeared. It had been at night that she wanted to go and seek out the voice, which left her mom with little sleep right after. Her dad had been furious but he didn't scold her. He would just openly glare and ignore. That treatment lasted about a whole month.

"Are your parents coming home today?" Yukari asked as Mamoru handed Hitomi a cup of water. She nodded.

"They'll be coming late. They wouldn't miss today even if it was the end of the world," which was also true. Her parents would never miss any birthday or holiday that was spent in family.

"Is _he_ coming?" she asked while eyeing Hitomi's bulging belly.

Hitomi rubbed her stomach and smiled sadly, "No…I haven't seen him in…quite some time now."

It was true. She hadn't seen him since that one day that she had envisioned him along her way home. He had been smiling at her so kindly and his eyes had been filled with so much love for her that she believed that he would come back for her soon. She had looked out of her window many nights and some mornings, just waiting for a sign. Every time she saw someone with raven silk hair and tanned skin, she believed he had come for her, but no, she hadn't seen him since that night.

She wasn't sure if she should feel sad, happy, hurt, or even betrayed. She had promised him that she would never forget him but what about him? Had he forgotten her so quickly? Had he already married someone else and was awaiting an heir to the throne? Was Merle playing pranks on someone else? Did she…forget about her as well? She never felt like thinking too much into these things because all of it could be true. Van wasn't a normal teenager; he was a king with a country to run and people to give hope to.

"I'm sorry," Yukari practically exclaimed, "I didn't mean to make you sad! Uhm…oh, guess what!"

Hitomi looked over to her best friends and smiled, "You're getting married?"

Yukari blushed and shook her head, "Too soon…although…"

She moved closer to Hitomi, "There have been hints…" she looked over to the kitchen where both guys were surely talking about something related to Mamoru's new car.

"That's so great! I knew you two would be together one day and now look, almost on the verge of tying the knot," Hitomi laughed at Yukari's blushing face.

Instead of feeling the slight jealousy she thought she was going to feel, Hitomi felt somehow relieved. She had once believed she had been in love with Amano but it had all just been a phase, a crush she had believed meant much more, but Yukari…she had loved him even before she had called that feeling love. She was happy her two best friends were going to be happy.

"I'm glad you support us, but that was going to be gossip until later, when we could speak a little more freely. What I wanted to tell you was," she pulled out a little bag from her pocket and handed it to Hitomi, "I made _this_! What do you think?"

Inside the bag were two little booties knitted with red yarn. Hitomi couldn't help but smile and let her eyes water slightly. They weren't perfect, that's for sure. She could clearly see where Yukari had messed up and where she had rested but they were beautiful.

"I asked my mother to teach me and well, since you haven't told us if it's a boy or a girl I used a sort of neutral color," Yukari explained, "It's not perfect…but I tried. Do you like them?"

She shook her head, "I love them! Thanks Yukari!"

She turned to her friend and hugged her as tightly as her swollen belly allowed her to.

* * *

><p>Hitomi shivered slightly as she waited for Mamoru inside the car. It seemed they had run out of a few ingredients. She had volunteered to go but everyone refused to let her go by herself, especially in her current condition. Mamoru had then calmed everyone's nerves by saying he'd take her. In the end Mamoru had been the one to go inside while she waited on him.<p>

She sighed and a puff of air surrounded her red cheeks.

Really, everyone acted like she couldn't do anything without breaking apart. She could walk, although she required a few breaks if the walk was long. Walking to the store would have been child's play, but Mamoru wouldn't hear of it. She chuckled. He was even more cautious then her parents' and they were _cautious_.

She frowned as she noticed something familiar in the distance. She wasn't entirely sure what it was until the image in the rearview mirror began to clear up slightly. A strong frame, raven locks, and what she hoped were chocolate eyes. As the person came closer she felt a stir in her stomach. The baby was moving rather furiously compared to before when it was only a kick. She winced slightly but then a single feather appeared right before her.

She reached out towards it, only to have it disappear instantly, _Van._

She looked over in the mirror once more but the person was gone. She looked in front of her and there he was; the stranger had already passed by her. She quickly stepped out of the car and watched as the person continued on forward. It was him, she was sure of it. She couldn't run so she called out to him as she walked in his direction, "Van!"

The person seemed to momentarily halt and she could see him look to his sides. She called out once more, "Van!"

The person turned around towards her and she could already smell him and feel the warmth he emanated. She gasped out, happy to see him, "Van."

It was amazing how much he had changed and how much he still looked like his old self. His hair had been cut slightly but the bottom, near his neck curled slightly because of the length. His eyes still held the same warmth that she had seen in them in Fanelia and his bronze skin, she was sure, was still as soft as silk. She tried reaching out to him but his words stopped her.

"It's you," she blinked. Of course it was her, who else would it be? He eyed her, stopping right at her belly, "You look…well…"

She wanted to hear his voice more. She wanted to hear what it was he was up to, especially here and not in Fanelia. She wanted to know if Merle was alright and what she was doing. Had she found someone else to tease? "Why are you here?"

Van looked to the side, as if he wanted time to think of something, but something caught his attention, her name being called out. They both turned behind her only to find Mamoru running towards them. It seemed like he had just found out that she had disappeared from his car. She watched him run towards them both and firmly place his hands on her shoulders, "Are you alright? Are you hurt? Did you want something? You scared me! I thought something might have happened to you."

She was only half listening as she watched different emotions run past Van's eyes. Mamoru noticed that her gaze was set behind him and he turned to see Van, "Who is he?"

He stood beside her, protectively. She couldn't help but raise her hand to her swollen stomach, "He's…" but before she could finish Van began to walk away.

"Van!" she called out and was about to go after him but she just about collapsed.

"Hitomi!" she heard Mamoru cry out and she could see Van turn around as well, worry deeply etched onto his face. She couldn't believe this was happening. She wasn't due until some date next month!

She cried out as her contractions began and her child began moving wildly.

The last few hours had been a blur but she had clearly felt Van's warmth during her pain-filled delusions. She had heard Mamoru's worried voice while Yukari too charge of everything. She had heard Amano talking to someone in an urgent manner, her own cries as the contractions continued on relentlessly, the doorbell and mumbling from afar as footsteps closed in on her; Yukari kicking everyone out of the room. She had heard the sound of a newborn's cries and the sound of gasps followed by sounds of cooing and giggling.

Now it was all quiet. She felt like she didn't have enough strength to even get a drink of water or move her head to the side. She tried to see if anyone else was with her in the giant white room they had especially prepared for this day, "Y-Yukari?"

The sound of footsteps came near and she found her best friend to her right with her hair tied in a bun. Her shirt's sleeves had been pulled back, up to her elbows, "Don't push yourself. Do you want some water?"

She nodded. Really, when her mother had talked to her about giving birth, she hadn't mentioned the end part being so…tiring. She had made it seem like giving birth had left her with extra energy to burn.

"It was a girl, in case you were wondering," Yukari informed her with a smile. She couldn't help the smile that crept to her tired face.

"Where is she?"

Yukari pointed out the door, "She wouldn't sleep, even when we tried feeding her, it was really strange. Everyone tried rocking her but she wouldn't fall asleep…that is, until that raven hunk that brought you in took her. I swear she fell asleep _instantly; _it was like…as soon as she knew they were handing her over to him, she calmed down."

She sat up too quickly, she was sure, and winced at the slight pain, "Did he see her?"

Yukari shook her head, knowing there was more meaning to her question, and Hitomi breathed out a sigh of relief, "We didn't take her out until we more or less figured out how to…uhm…make them go away…sort of…"

"What do you mean?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. She had already sat up with the help of Yukari.

"Well…they just, kind of went away…we don't know when they'll appear again," and with that Hitomi began to try and stand up. She wasn't sure why but she didn't want Van to see her daughter's wings. She paused…_their_ daughter. It wasn't fear, or at least not towards the baby, but fear of what he would say to her about not informing him. Would he hate her?

"Woah! It's too soon for you to be up," Yukari exclaimed, "You just finished a very complicated, and might I add, tiring, labor process. You could hurt yourself."

"I want to see her," she explained.

"Then I'll go get her," Yukari persuaded, "My mom is a great doctor but you don't exactly have state of the art equipment in case you hurt yourself. Think of your daughter."

She paused her pointless struggling and nodded, "Alright."

"That's a good girl, now you stay here and think about her name. She does need one, remember, Naomi sounds great!"

And Yukari was out the door before she could even change her mind. A name. She had been thinking about it for a while now but hadn't been too sure about what to pick. Mamoru had suggested she choose Genesis over Naomi, while Yukari had suggested the opposite. Amano had said either sounded nice, and had even suggested to use both, but which first?

About ten minutes later there was a tentative knock before Yukari stepped halfway in. There was something about the look she gave and the smile on her face, "What did you do?"

"Hm, me? Nothing, why?" Hitomi narrowed her eyes. Yukari had never been good at lying about serious things to her…except for her crush on Amano, but that wasn't technically lying, right?

"I can tell something happened," she said while crossing her arms.

There was someone behind her and Yukari turned to scowl at the person who shoved her slightly but not enough for her to enter, "Yukari."

"Ok, come in," she gestured to the person.

Hitomi's eyes widened and then narrowed at Yukari, "Explain."

"Well…you know how I was going to bring her?" She nodded, "Well, she started crying as soon as I reached out for her…and when I took her from him…"

There was a pause but she felt her heart sink as she could just imagine the scene.

"…her wings…he was there…now he's here…please don't be mad!"

She looked over to Van, to see if there was any resentment or anger in his eyes but she could only see confusion, "Yukari, can you leave us for a second?"

Yukari just nodded as she realized something was going on.

The door shut behind her.

Van walked over to her and sat on the bed.

She reached out for her child, only to have a larger, darker hand engulf her own, "Van."

She looked up as he spoke, "Why didn't you tell me?"

There were no feelings of anger, just pain. She felt her face fall as she realized this pained him and she understood why but she wasn't at fault here. She had believed he would come for her and that he wouldn't forget but it had been too long since their last meeting.

"You remember the day I saw you on my way home?" she asked. He must have remembered since it was the first and last time he had visited her from afar. He nodded.

"That was the last time I saw you. I thought you would come for me soon, I was hoping, especially since school finished not long after," she paused, "but months passed and my hope of seeing you was dying…I thought you moved on. There was a night…where I thought you called out to me…but it went as soon as it came."

A soft large hand cupped her face and she realized she had been crying. Van placed her daughter, their daughter, in her arms and she smiled down at the sleeping face.

"I _did_ call you, and I waited at the track where we first met," Van began, "but you never came. I came back once more a few months later…only to find you with child. I also believed you had moved on and when I saw you with that man earlier on…"

She couldn't help but let out a small laugh, "That's my younger brother, remember? I told you about him once before, when we were in Gaea."

Van scratched at his cheek, embarrassed, "Ah, yeah, I remember now."

She placed her hand on his larger one, "Will you stay tonight? We're celebrating New Years and…I'd like it…if you stayed."

She watched as his eyes moved from one direction to the next, as if he were trying to sort things out or like he was imagining what would happen, "I can stay…for a while. Have you picked a name yet?"

He looked down at their child and she smiled, "Yukari told me to pick something but…well, I never really got around to picking anything. Do you have anything in mind? She is your daughter too…right?"

His eyes practically smiled at her, "How about adding Varie or did you have something else in mind?"

She couldn't help but smile as Van suggested his mother's name. She could remember the beautiful draconian woman and how she had helped her realize that she was too uncertain about her own emotions. She had suggested she not use her powers to see the future because they brought about bad happenings with her anxiety. She was also the woman that she had seen in the vision with Van and Merle, where Van had jumped off a roof to use his wings. She had been worried that something would happen to him and had rushed to his aid by extending her own glorious appendages.

"We've been bickering for a while now," she confessed as she nodded towards the door, "We couldn't decide over Genesis and Naomi."

"What about Varie Naomi," he paused, "Fanel, if you would join me. I know Merle has been dying to see you and so have I."

When she had been thinking about the names she would pick it had never occurred to have her daughter be named Fanel. At first, during her first and second months she had believed that yes, her daughter would indeed be a Fanel but after those two months she had only thought of having her daughter be a Kanzaki. Her daughter wouldn't have a father to give her his surname, but now she did and she blinked. She hoped, that this also meant they could be together. She wasn't sure why she was shedding so many tears today but she let loose a few more.

"Yes, it's a lovely name," she nodded. There was a timid knock on the door and she smiled.

"Shall we go downstairs? Everyone is waiting," she commented.

Van helped her stand from the bed she was on and they both headed downstairs where Mamoru was waiting impatiently. When he saw her come down he couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief, "Good, I thought something happened."

He was eyeing their uninvited guest wearily but Van only ignored him and tried his best to help Hitomi over to the living room where Yukari had prepared a seat for her. Once they were all sitting down all eyes turned to Hitomi for an explanation. Her parents weren't home yet, which left Yukari to break the silence,

"Hitomi, you have to tell everyone that I'm right. He's her father, isn't he?"

She could feel everyone's gaze as they searched her own, "…yes…how did you…?"

Yukari gushed, "I knew it! I'm not sure how but he looked really familiar, as if I'd seen him once before and then the way she reacted to his touch! It reminds me of the stories my mom told me about how I was as a baby! And well, the way he brought you in when you were in labor, it showed how much he cared! Oh, what did you guys decide on for the baby?"

Hitomi smiled, "Varie Naomi, just like you wanted. Does it sound nice?"

Yukari smiled ecstatically while Mamoru groaned, "I liked Genesis better…"

They all laughed and Yukari's mother exited the bathroom, wondering what had just happened. She had heard Yukari's exclamation, although it had been slightly muffled. Yukari pulled her over so that she could join in the conversation. She couldn't help but wonder as to where everyone was at. Mamoru had said they would be arriving at around five but now, she glanced at the clock hanging on the wall, it was ten-thirty. She could understand her parents but everyone else? Even Yukari's father wasn't there yet.

"Where did you get Varie from and what's his name anyways?" Mamoru asked. He wasn't so accepting like Yukari. There was a knock on the door and Yukari's mother said she'd go and get the door. She could tell how interested everyone else was.

"My name is Van Fanel and Varie was my mother," Van introduced himself and there was a slight pause as everyone took in the _was_ status of his mother. Amano was the first to introduce and then everyone else did the same. When Yukari finished introducing herself he nodded, "I remember you two."

Amano only nodded, only slight recognition in his eyes.

Van nodded back, "Especially you."

Hitomi blushed, "Don't, please?" but Yukari wouldn't hear of it now. When she was curious she would juice _anyone _until they told her everything, even the most simple and minor details. Van seemed to almost feel comfortable around everyone, especially with Yukari and her boisterous attitude.

Hitomi could hear the sound of everyone finally arriving, or at least, she thought it was everyone. Once they started spilling into the living room she could recognize Yukari's father and younger sister, Amano's parents, her aunt and her husband, and her younger cousin named Miko. Everyone exchanged names and hugs before Van was pressed to continue on his "especially you" explanation from Yukari.

"Well, it was when I first met Hitomi," he began while eyeing her and she couldn't help but smile.

Yes, everything began on that fateful day and it would begin again when they would leave for Gaea once more.


End file.
